What the new rule says
On 1 September 2026, the NSW Government announced that schools will be limited to one take-home assessment task, worth no more than 15% of the school-based assessment mark, or 7.5% of the total HSC mark.
The advice comes before the Class of 2027 begins its HSC studies in Term 4 this year. The limit also applies to students beginning Year 11 in Term 1, 2027. More subject-specific advice for the 2028 HSC and beyond is to come from NESA.
Why: AI, in the government's words
The announcement says the change is meant "to protect student learning amid the rapid rise in the use of artificial intelligence in schools". It also says HSC marks should reflect a student's own knowledge, skills and thinking, "without reliance on generative AI tools".
In practice, that means more of your school-based marks will come from work done in class, where your teacher sees you do it.
What it doesn't change
- Major works are not included in the limit. But schools are still required to authenticate students' work.
- Your school's own rules on AI still apply, for every task. They can be stricter than you expect, so read them.
- The HSC exams themselves aren't the subject of this rule.
A good habit: keep a copy of how you used AI
If you use AI to study or to plan, whether that's to explain a topic or to quiz you before a test, it's worth keeping a copy of those chats. Not because a copy proves anything on its own: it doesn't. But if a teacher asks how you worked on something, it's easier to show them than to remember.
A few rules of thumb:
- Follow your school's rules first. If a task says no AI, it means no AI.
- Keep the chats you actually used, with the date, not a tidied-up version.
- Save them somewhere you control, as PDF or text, so they don't depend on an AI's history settings.
A copy is a record, not a pass.
An exported chat shows what was said in the chat. It doesn't show that the work you handed in is yours, and nobody should tell you it does. Your own drafts, notes and the work you do in class are what count.
Save a chat in one click
Uncook's Export saves a chat as PDF, Markdown or plain text. On the ChatGPT page, click the Uncook icon and pick Export. You can also use it with a supported Claude or Gemini chat open in desktop Chrome.
Export is free, and it doesn't count as a task.
Questions people ask
Does the new rule apply to me if I'm in Year 11 now? The announcement includes the Class of 2027, beginning its HSC studies in Term 4 of 2026, and also students beginning Year 11 in Term 1, 2027. Ask your school how it applies to your assessment program.
Can I use AI for my take-home task? That depends on the task and your school's rules. Ask your teacher before you start, not after.
Does Export work on NSWEduChat? No. The extension doesn't read NSWEduChat.
Start fresh,
without starting over.
Add to Chrome
Export runs in your browser, through the extension. The chat isn't sent to our servers, and nothing is kept on our side.